Label-applying machine



E. H. TAYLOR. DECD.

G. A. TAYLOR. ADMINISTRATOR.

LABEL APPLYING MACHINE.

1,408,720 APPLICATION FILED MAR-2. 1920. Patented Jan- 17, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1- e. A. TAYLOR, ADMINISTRATOR.

LABEL APPLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2, 1920.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTUII flfgr h? FM W Afiys- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE H. TAYLOR, DECEASED, LATE OEIBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, BY enonen a. TAYLOR, ADMINISTRATOR, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR'TO JOHN T.

ROBINSON COMPANY, OF.BOSTON, CHUSETTS.

MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- LABEL-ArPLYmG MACHINE Original application filed April 18, 1917, Serial Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J an. 1'7, 1 922. No. 162,898. Divided and this application filed March 2,

1920. Serial No; 362,667.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that EUGENE H. TAYLOR, deceased, late of Boston, county of- Suffolk, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Label-Applying Machines,,of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This application is a division of the application Serial No. 162,898, filed April 18. 1917, by Eugene H. Taylor, deceased.

This invention has for its object label transferring mechanism for use in a ma chine for applying labels, particularly end labels, to set-up boxes, such as shoe boxes, shirt boxes, collar boxes, and the like.

While the invention is shown and described as adapted for operation on paper boxes, it will be understood that it may be employed as part of a machine for applying labels to metallic boxes or, in fact, to any boxes of rectangular shape.

In the labeling machine, a portion of which is shown in the accompanying drawings, the labels are placed in a floating hopper or reservoir and the glue or paste is put in a suitable pan. The top label is taken from the pile by automatic suction-operated mechanism, adhesive is applied to the label and it is carried to the position where parts of the machine, not shown in the present application, apply the label to the box,roll it down and eject the finished box from the machine.

The invention described herein is capable of a variety of uses and, therefore, only a single application of the'invention is illus out and clearly defined in the claims at the close of this specification.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a machine embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism embodying the invention.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3, 3 of Figure 2. The machine includes a floating label reservoir which will now be described. The

object of this floating label reservoir is to maintain the top label of the pile of labels always at the same level, the bottom label occupying dilferent positions labels variesin thickness. The labels are placed on a floating shelf e5 forming the bottom of the reservoir, the sides of which are formed by grate-shaped members which are laterally adjustable for di'lferent sizes of labels, but do not move vertically. The floating shelf L5 is provided with bars 47 which project through the slots between the bars composing thegrate-shaped sides 46 of the reservoir. This is to make it possible to move the sides of the reservoir laterally to adjust them towards and away from each other for different sizes of labels and still maintain a complete support forthe bottom of the pile of labels. It also permits vertical movement of the bottom or shelf of the reservoir relatively to the sides to maintain the top label of the pile in the same position.

The lateral adjustment of the sides 46 of the reservoir is accomplishedby means of rods 11 and set screws l8 in brackets a9 on. the frame of the machine.

The floating shelf 4:5 is secured by means of a head 50 to' the upper end of a slide composed in part of rod 51 carried by two links 52. The links 52 are secured to the ends of two arms 53 fixedtoa hub 5a which together with its arms forms a rocking lever. The hub 5a is on a stud shaft 55 i which shaft also, carries an arm 56 on which is a weight or counterpoise 57 which, being adjustable lengthwise of thearm 56, exerts a force SilfilClC-Ilb to hold the pile of labels yieldingly in the highest position permitted by a pair of stops 58 which engage the upper rear corners of the pile of labels. This mechanism is such that the pile of labels is constantly raised as labels are taken from the top of the pile by the label-feeding mechanism. By this means, the top label always occupies the same position with relation to the label-transferring mechanism.

The top label in the pile is lifted off the pile by one or more suction nozzles 59 connected to a header 60 in which suction is pro duced by a suction pump 61. The header 60 is connected with the pump by a flexible tube 62. The header 60 and attached suction nozzles 59 are movable vertically on a as the pile of each time lifting the top label parallel motion composed of two bars :63 mounted on pivots 64; on the frame of the machine. One of the bars 63 composing the parallel motion is actuated by an arm 65 iaving on its lower end a cam roll 66 engaging a cam 67 on a cam shaft 68. The cam shaft 68 is driven by a vertical shaft 12 which is itself driven by a cross shaft 13 operated by gears let and 15 the latter of which is on the end ofthe shaft on which is mounted a glue roll 84. y j

The movement of the vacuum nozzles is relatively small. The nozzles move periodically. down into contact with the upper surface oft-he top label and then upward again, slightly away from the remainder of the pile.

At 69 is shown a large picker roll which is constantly revolving, being geared to the camshaft 68, already described. At each end of the picker-r0116?) is a spider 70. One

arm 71 of the spider supports a small moyable fpicker roll 72, another arm carries a spreader arm 7 3 across the front of the large picker roll and a third arm 74 carries a cam roll 75 which engages a cam 1.6 on the cam shaft 68. The movements of the parts are timed so that, just after the top label has been lifted up by the vacuum nozzles as described,

the small picker roll 72 is oscillated "backward about the axis of the large picker roll 69 by means of the cam 16 and the arm 74,

thereby causing the two picker rolls to seize between them the end of the label lifted from the pile by the nozzles. The-small picker roll is positively ing gears 77 and 7 8 so that the two rolls have the same surface speed.

Tlielabel is delivered by the picker rolls 69 and 72 on to a series of transfer belts 76 running about the pulleys 79 and 80. The

1 pulley 79 is actuated by gears 17 and 18 the former. of which is on the shaft on which the largepicker roll is mounted. The transfer belt carries the label rearwardly and delivers it to the gluing mechanism. This gluing mechanism forms no part of thepresent in vention, and being fully described in the application of Eugene Taylor, deceased,

driven from the large picker roll by means of apair of intermeshpreviously referred to, will not be described in detail herein.

The floating shelf 45 which forms the bottom of the reservoir'is inclined and slopes -as shown in Figure 2 so that the palr of picker rollswhich'takes the label from the suction nozzles and then delivers itto the transfer belt, operates with greater certainty .ing support for said bottom, sides for the reservoir composed of gridiron shaped members through the interstices of which said barsproj'ect whereby the said sides may be moved toward and away from 'each other, and the saidbottom may be moved vertically as the supply of labels inthe reservoir varies.

In a machine ofthe character described, a positively rotating large picker :roll, a small picker roll supported adjacent said large picker roll and having-the same peripheral speed, and mechanism to cause the small picker roll to travel bodily around the periphery of the large picker roll for a short distance to receive a label.

4. In a machine of the character described,

andv in combination with a reservoir, suction nozzles to remove the top; label from the reservoir, a; pair of positively driven picker rolls, and "mechanism to cause one of the said picker rolls to move bodily about the axis of the other of said picker rolls to cause it to seize the labelwhich had been removed from the label reservoir by the suction noz- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

. j V GEORGE A. TAYLOR, Administrator of the estate of Eugene H.

Taylor, deceased. 

